Lauren Josef
If you’ve seen a pregnant woman with blonde-black hair hurrying across campus from Front Street House to the Goel Center for Theater and Dance, chances are you’ve seen Director of Costumes Lauren Josef. Josef creates costumes for all the productions of the Academy—from dance recitals to mainstage productions. She balances it all with an excellent intuition for design and theme.
Josef began her exploration of drama at just five years old. She played the youngest Billy Goats Gruff in a community production of Three Billy Goats Gruff. It wasn’t the role, however, that inspired her to continue—rather the community. “I was maybe three feet tall max, but the whole cast treated me so well and I felt welcome,” she said. She recalled thinking afterwards: “I’d like to be a part of this [community] for the rest of my life.”
Josef’s interests, initially, were not behind the scenes, but on the stage. She attended James Madison University in Virginia originally to act in musical theater, although she always had a knack for craft. “I've made a lot of costumes throughout my life, whether it be Halloween or for friends. I've always been sort of crafty. The costuming part didn't become a part of my life until my sophomore year of college. I took a basic sewing class. My friend convinced me to sign up for it because otherwise, it wasn't going to run,” she said. “And so I signed up for it and the teacher encouraged me to continue and I loved the class.”
Josef was able to pursue more electives regarding the behind-the-scenes of drama as well as design. After college, she moved to Chicago, acting in productions sporadically. But she was confronted with a decision: between theater and her personal life, between acting and design.
She ultimately decided on costume design. “A performing career had too many sacrifices for the life that I wanted. It would have been really hard for me to start a family. I was missing out on a lot of things that were important to me, like friends’ weddings or family events—things that I love to do that were a part of me,” she said. “So it stopped being so much fun because I also had to work a full time job at the same time. So the costuming part felt like it was still fulfilling one of my deepest passions and that the performing part could always be a part of my life. It just wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, all day, every day.”
Costume design has enabled her creativity and unique perspective to come to life. “I love looking at plays from different directions. If I can approach it in a way that's not as obvious as the first answer, that's really fulfilling for me,” she said. “It always starts off with analyzing a play and analyzing really the characters or even in a dance like in Nutcracker—they're more whimsical characters.” The Nutcracker, which will feature the unique twist of being set in Candyland, will show this Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10.
Being a part of the Academy’s Theater Department has fueled her vision as well. “I love the part of collaboration with all of the other designers who are on the show, like the set designer and lighting designer,” she said. “because we can feed off of each other and then we get these great ideas that we never would've thought of on our own—that’s really fun.”
Chair of the Theater Department Robert Richards agreed, voicing how Josef brightened each day of work. “Mrs. Josef is the twinkle in the stars, the first rays at sunrise,” he declared. “Her spirit and talents are such gifts to the department and community. I love her sense of humor and her keen, artistic eye. You just feel good being around her.”
Even beyond the theater, Josef’s welcoming presence has been noted by colleagues. “Ms. Josef’s enthusiasm for theater, her enthusiasm for teaching and her enthusiasm for life make her an amazing educator. Her curiosity, her sense of humor and her attention to detail make her a fabulous storyteller,” Instructor in English Tyler Caldwell said. “I remember the first time I officially met Ms. Josef, I felt as if I had known her for years. She engages in a conversation so fully that the rest of the world seems to disappear. She has an amazing way of making those around her feel comfortable and valued.”
Beyond designing costumes, Josef also teaches courses in the theater department. “Right now, I'm teaching technical theater and design, which is a challenge for me at times because it covers all of the technical theater elements, not only costuming,” she said. “And what I love about that class is a lot of times we get students who have never really been exposed to theater. So it's really fun to see the progression when they come in at the beginning to the end when they're like theater experts when they leave,” she said.
Senior Josh Riddick was one of those students who had not been previously exposed to the arts. “Ms. Josef has introduced me to the arts, which I did not have much experience or skill before the course started,” he said. “I now have a greater interest for arts and theater and a greater appreciation for them.”
This spring, Josef will premiere a new course: THR300: Costume Design and Construction. “I cannot wait for that class. It's really my expertise. It's only costumes. There's a big design portion. There's also a construction portion where people are learning to sew and they'll be building their own garments,” she said. “It's also got a very artistic piece to it where I want to encourage students to find who they are as designers, which is really rewarding for me because I've started to find myself and my style. So I'm really excited to see students finding their style.”
Josef’s baby is due anytime in the next few weeks, but right now she will continue to be an active member of campus life. “It’s really important to live in the present when you can, because I feel like life is short—and people say that all the time, but I think that if you’re living in the future or the past, then you’re doing yourself a disservice because all we have is what we have right now,” she said.
She concluded with a musing of her future here: “I'm loving my adventure here. I think I can see myself being here as far forward as I can think, which is not that far forward—but I love being here. I’d like to be a big part of growing the department and eventually raising a new baby.”